


Chasing Shadows

by RestlessCancer



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Humanstuck, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-10
Updated: 2013-06-13
Packaged: 2017-12-14 14:03:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/837708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RestlessCancer/pseuds/RestlessCancer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Humanstuck. Middle school is a nightmare. Lisping, video games, defensive attitude. The three things Sollux is known for. The three things he resents about himself that he won't change because he wants to stick it to the insufferable pricks in his sixth grade class.</p><p>Sollux Captor: Give them Hell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Oh Fuck.

"Iit'2 only Monday..." You huff, hiding around the edge of the wall separating the showers from the lockers.

you screech as cold water suddenly splashes down on you from the closest shower head. You turn to find Equuis and Eridan laughing uncontrollably next to the handle labeled cold. You run out of the Locker Room, your cheeks burning red on your pale skin and your dirty blonde hair dripping water down your face and onto your glasses. You dash to the computer lab; the lights are off and only faint glowing from inactive computer screens lends any light to the small rectangular room. Someone will find you soon, likely your best friend Karkat.

As if on queue, you hear the door open and someone steps in, not bothering to turn on the light.

"Sollux, what happened?" Karkat's somewhat nasal-y voice cuts through the soft hum of the sleeping computers.

"They got me wiith the 2hower2." You say, trying to find a dry spot on your shirt to clean your glasses with.

"You're soaked, idiot. There's not gonna be anywhere to wipe your glasses off on that shirt." He sighs, taking your glasses and cleaning them for you. "Don't put them on, your hair will just keep dripping on them."

You take your glasses back and hold them in your hand.

"Come on, let's get back to the locker room, you can wear my clothes." He drags you by the wrist out of the computer lab. 

"Sollux!" Your brother Mituna calls, walking away from the drinking fountain. 

"Crap." You mumble, your face once again burning with embarrassment. 

Mituna is your older brother, he's only a year ahead of you though. Sometimes you like going to the same school as him and other times you wish he was three years ahead of you.

Mituna runs up to you, his super layered dirty blonde hair leaving only one eye with the ability to see properly. He hugs Karkat and then you. You're definitely going to get bullied again later if anyone- dammit-sees you. Just as you thought it couldn't get worse, Equuis walks out to the drinking fountains and starts snickering as he spots your brother embracing you and quickly runs back to the hall leading to the gym doors and the locker rooms, presumably to tell Eridan what he just saw.

"Solly, what happened? You're soaked!" Mituna asks, holding you close as you shudder from the cold air breezing past you.

"Miituna! 2top iit!" You whine, shoving him away.

"Okay, but what happened?" He asks again.

"Equuis and Eridan soaked him with the showers in the locker room." Karkat answers as you glare him and he then adds, turning to you, "What? He would've found out anyway, retard! You might as well tell him now."

"Solly! That's awful!" Mituna says, slipping his baggy zip-up sweatshirt off and putting it around you.

"Thank2, Tuna." You mumble, your eyes cast down, fixed on your feet.

"No, problem, Solly. And don't worry, Kankri and I'll take care of 'em." He reassures you, giving you another hug that you reciprocate since nothing could make this day any worse. "Go back to class with KK, I'll grab you after school so we can all get on the bus to the Galaxy."

"Okay, 2ee you later, Tuna." You say, waving at him as he runs back to class.

"Come on, Sol, let's get back to class." Karkat proceeds to drag you back to gym class by your wrist again.


	2. Grim Galaxy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mituna takes Sollux and Karkat to the teen hang out, the Galaxy. Mituna and Kankri teach Equuis a few lessons about bullying.

"Sollux! Hey little brother! Over here!" Mituna calls as you walk out from art class and into the hall with Karkat. 

"Karkat! Are you ready to go? Do you need to get anything from your locker before we get on the bus?" Kankri asks.

"Nope. Let's go, Sol." Karkat grabs your wrist as he flatly answers his brother.

"KK! Ii have two go two our locker! I left my D2 in there!" You gripe as you pull your wrist from his grasp. 

"Alright, we'll meet you at the front by the bell okay?" Mituna says, cuddling Karkat and guiding Kankri away.

"Thank2, Tuna!" You call as you continue to your locker.

You open the locker and look at yourself in the full length mirror. You and Karkat had hung it in there so you could watch out for any of the usual bullies when they would try to sneak up on you. The hall is mostly empty aside from some of the girls chatting as they leisurely pack up their textbooks while they gossip and bitch. 

Wearing your brother's Monster sweatshirt, Karkat's gray skinnies and Warm Bodies tee with your purposely mismatched white and black tennis, and wearing your rounded glasses, you look only slightly ridiculous. You wanted to scream when KK showed you the Warm Bodies tee you would have to wear because you hate his stupid rom-coms. You really wanted to wear your Bioshock Infinite tee, but KK reminded you that it was soaked. You sigh as you tuck your bag of soaked clothes and your DS into your Left For Dead backpack.

"Aww, if it isn't the weak little Captor. Went running to big brover Tuna fish didn't you?" 

Equuis suddenly appears as you close your locker door.

You back up against your locker door. Why did they have to come now? They weren't satisfied after soaking you earlier? Seriously, what are their problems? UGH!

"No! He found me when he left cla22!" You defend, putting your arms up in front of you in defense, cursing yourself for lisping.

"What's that toothpick? 2eem2 like 2omeone needs to go back to 2peech cla22!" He slurs his words, spitting on you in the process. He gets a good punch to your right eye, knocking your glasses into your hands and then pinning you to the lockers.

"Sollux? What's taking-" Karkat comes around the corner, griping, and stops as he spots Equuis. "Dammit Captor!"

"Crabby, pinch your little bee buddy and let's get to the bus!" Kankri comes up behind him, also throwing a hissy fit over the wait. "Zahhak, don't you have a horse to grope?"

Kankri steps in front of Karkat defensively and starts walking towards you. Kankri is two years older than you and Karkat, but you're all pretty close, regardless of age.

"Hey, calm down, we're just having some friendly banter, right Sollux?" Equuis tries to maintain his facade, but his voice cracks a bit.

"Kri, Kat, what's taking so long? What's the matter?" Mituna asks, coming around the corner to find you pinned by Equuis and Kankri starting to pull him off. "Hey! Zahhak, get off my little brother!"

Kankri steps away from you as Mituna charges Equuis and shoves him off of you. You run over to Karkat to get distance between you and Equuis.

"You leave my little brother alone, beastial brat!" Mituna threatens Equuis, slapping him upside the head. "Go home Equuis!"

Equuis runs off towads the exit next to the art room as Mituna comes back to you. He takes your glasses, cleaning them on his tee and then pausing as he notices a couple cuts near your eye and the subtle hints of the bruising to come.

"I'm sorry, Solly, we should've stayed with you!" Mituna embraces you.

"Iit'2 okay, Tuna. Can we ju2t go?" You ask, hugging him briefly and then pulling back. 

"Yeah, let's get out of here." He smiles at you, putting his arm around you as you all walk out to the front of the school. 

Because of the altercation, you all missed the bus so you had to walk, but it was worth it because Kankri took everyone on a side trip to the bakery a block from the Galaxy. He, trying to be funny, bought you and Mituna cookies shaped like bees and got one shaped like a crab for Karkat. After that, you finally reach your destination, the Galaxy. The usual crowd of classmates and some other kids are there, everyone waiting for their workaholic parents to come pick them up.


	3. I Wouldn't Go There If I Were You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess who also went to the Galaxy today? Good thing Ms. Dolorosa Mayram is in charge.

You sign into a computer on the stage next to the DJ equipment. You were never allowed to go to the parties at the galaxy before because sixth grade was the youngest they would take. That means that this year will be your first party... that isn't a birthday party. You doubt that they would let you DJ for it since you're only in sixth grade. You do have a lot of tricks and knowledge about technology though, not that anyone trusts a tween with high tech equipment. 

"How's your eye, Captor?" 

Crap. Dammit. 

You wish you knew real cuss words, but your dad is waaaaay too protective of you. Like you won't hear them elsewhere.

"Did big brother Tuna kiss it all better bipolar freak?"

You turn and glare at Equuis. You didn't know he came here since this is only your second visit. On the other hand you're a little relieved to run into him here because Kanaya's mom is one of the chaperones and she won't tolerate any form of bullying.

"Eh-hem." Ms. Maryam clears her throat, standing behind Equuis with her arms crossed over her chest. "Equuis, your father came early today. You need to sign out and quickly head out. He is waiting for you, Zahhak."

"Uh, Yes, Ms. Maryam." Equuis responds before following her orders.

You chuckle a little at the way Equuis scrambles to grab his bag and sign out before stumbling up the stairs to the exit. Ms. Maryam giggles a bit with a hand to her mouth as she watches as well. Then, she turns back to you, sitting down in the chair next to yours.

"Thank2, M2. Maryam." You say, adjusting your glasses.

"It was my pleasure, sweetheart." She smiles and then gasps, her hand returning to her mouth as she looks alarmed. "Oh my, Sollux, sweetie, what ever happened to your eye?"

She reaches out, gently taking your glasses off as you flinch, and lightly brushes her fingertips by the outside of your eye.

"Iit'2 nothiing, M2. Maryam." You look away as you reply.

"It most certainly is something. The question remains as to who did this because it certainly was no accident." She gives you a gentle but stern look to match her tone. "You may as well surrender the name of the person at fault so that I may notify their parents immediately. I know your brother or my stepsons would be more than willing to share as much."

"Iit wa2 Equuii2. Miituna already 2macked hiim iin the back of the head." You confess, looking down at your feet.

"I figured as much. Come with me, darling. Let's see if we can't patch your eye up a bit." 

She takes you by the hand and leads you to her office, a very small rectangular room overflowing her personal work affects. You glance at the photos placed around her office and you think about how lucky Karkat must be to have her as a mom. Kankri seems annoyed by her, but you guess that it's because he had more time with their real mom. After tending to your battered eye, she gives you a hug and holds your hands in hers.

"Equuis is just overcompensating, darling. He simply feels insecure as most pre-teens tend to be, but that is no excuse for his actions. I will be phoning his father to tell him of this-" She starts to say, but you cut her off in protest.

"But that'll ju2t make thiing2 wor2e, M2.-"

"And, I will be sure to say that I overheard him taunting you about it in a rather boisterous manner." She giggles a bit as you flush in embarrassment for the-how many times is that now? "That is why we try teach our children not to interrupt when another is talking. One tends to miss the important details."

She taps your nose with her index finger as she makes her point and you shrug with a half-smile at your embarrassment.

"Go ahead and enjoy your time before your father comes. He's picking you and my stepsons up at four and it's nearly half past three now." She encourages you as she moves towards the phone.

As Ms. Maryam starts talking on the phone, you exit her office, closing the door with soft click, and head back to your computer. YOu wonder what happened to your mom. You never knew her and you've never felt comfortable asking your brother about her. It's strange to you that you can't even remember ever seeing a picture of her either.


End file.
